Where did the image of the good father that François Legault embodied so well during the pandemic go?
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
Connected to the population, he had the talent to bring people together, to speak to Quebecers during his numerous press briefings, which fostered social cohesion during these dark hours… and his popularity rating.
Since the beginning of the campaign, the leader of the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) has looked more like an inconvenient old uncle, he who we saw pouting during the debates, replying annoyed to the other candidates.
It is as if the Prime Minister, so sure of being re-elected, did not want to get bogged down in an election campaign. “Let’s carry on,” says its unimaginative slogan. It could also have been: “Let’s quickly move on to another call”.
But in a democracy, you cannot act like a bulldozer. And despite its overwhelming lead, the CAQ would benefit from being more attentive.
Take the economy…
Yes, the CAQ stands out with a solid team of businessmen who inspire confidence as the province risks facing a recession. But in 2022, we can no longer let the train of economic development rush straight ahead, leaving the environment in the back car.
This is what is happening with the battery sector, a flagship project of the CAQ which is causing concern in several regions. Residents fear the cavalier establishment of future graphite mines, an essential ingredient of the energy transition.
However, François Legault pays little attention to these very legitimate fears. Better supervision of territories incompatible with mining activity is not in its cards, he told The Pressduring a flash editorial table, organized Monday morning, before his departure for the Magdalen Islands.
See now healthy…
We want to believe in Minister Christian Dubé, even if he does not reinvent the four-hole button with his “refoundation” of the system which transplants the good ideas of the past.
Minister Dubé is a manager driven by data and performance indicators. His outward look suggests that he could succeed where so many others have failed.
Nevertheless, we do not understand why the CAQ persists in building its seniors’ homes, which cost three times more to build than CHSLDs, giving the impression of being stuck in an election promise.
In other areas, the CAQ is not only lacking in listening. She squarely plays the divisive chord.
We saw it with the dangerous connection that François Legault made between immigration and violence, when he sought to explain why he refuses to welcome more than 50,000 immigrants a year.
Quebec can very well be inclusive, without losing its identity and its language.
But François Legault prefers to brandish the scarecrow of the Louisianization of Quebec. At the same time, he demanded more powers from Ottawa, particularly in matters of family reunification. Knowing that the answer will be no, it arouses the resentment of Quebecers against the federal government for nothing. Even if immigrants were forced to learn French before coming to join their families in Quebec, as Mr. Legault would like to impose, that would make very little difference, since these cases are few in number.
François Legault also sows discord when he suggests that young people take an interest in education rather than the environment. The Prime Minister’s passion for education is evident. “All I have in life is education,” he says.
There is no doubt that education is the future of Quebec. But it is not useful to put this in opposition to the environment, which is the future of the planet.
No need either to accuse Montrealers of “looking down on the people of Quebec” because they question the third link. We can very well love the capital, while being against this electoral project of 6.5 billion which is not based on any study.
The division’s policy serves the CAQ well, which finds itself in a position of strength against a completely atomized opposition. But it serves the interests of Quebec.
Nobody has a crystal ball, but it is possible that the CAQ will obtain 80% of the seats with barely 40% of the votes, courtesy of our voting system, which works better in a two-party system.
Mr. Legault, who advocated a reform of the voting system when he was in opposition, now believes that it only interests a handful of intellectuals. Another way to divide.
With a second term at hand, let’s hope Mr. Legault develops a better listening ear.
It is not by telling Anglophones that the expansion of their CEGEPs comes second or by accusing the Aboriginal communities of wanting to have “word debates” because they want us to recognize the systemic racism that it will the impression of being the premier of all Quebecers.
Not just those who vote for the CAQ.